Magnus’ breathing turned ragged, his entire body trembling as he dug his fingers into his temples. His chest rose and fell in sharp, erratic movements, as though he was fighting something—something clawing to break free.“Magnus?” Frederick stepped closer, cautious but firm. “Talk to me.”Magnus’ head snapped up. His eyes—dark, unfocused—locked onto Frederick, and for a split second, there was no recognition. No warmth. Just something wrong.Then he lunged.Frederick barely had time to react before Magnus crashed into him, shoving him back with unnatural force. The air cracked around them, thick with magic. Shadows flickered along Magnus’ arms, his veins darkening like ink was spilling beneath his skin.“Magnus, stop!” Elia’s voice was sharp with fear. She clutched Elizabeth, stepping back as Ron moved to shield them.Frederick gritted his teeth as he struggled against Magnus’ strength. “Fight it!” he shouted. “You’re stronger than this!”But Magnus wasn’t listening. His face twisted,
The moment Magnus left the room, the air turned ice cold. Elia stood frozen, her breath shallow as she clutched Elizabeth, trying to calm her wailing cries. The baby—so small, so fragile—sensed it before any of them did.Frederick wiped at his bruised throat, exchanging a look with Ron. “We need to go after him.”Ron hesitated, his grip tight on his sword hilt. “Frederick, I don’t think he even knows who we are anymore.”Frederick didn’t care. He couldn’t. Not when he had just seen Magnus’ eyes—black as void, stripped of humanity.Not when he had felt that magic, so much darker than anything Alan had ever wielded.He turned to Elia. “Stay here. No matter what you hear, don’t come after us.”Elia’s lip trembled, but she nodded. She didn’t trust her voice.Then Frederick and Ron rushed after Magnus.They found him in the courtyard.The moonlight bathed the stone in silver, but where Magnus stood, the ground withered beneath him. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his fingers twitching as
The silence stretched, thick and heavy. Magnus lay sprawled on the broken stone, his body motionless save for the faint, erratic rise and fall of his chest.Frederick’s hands were still trembling, the golden glow of his magic flickering before vanishing completely. His ribs ached with every breath, but the pain was nothing compared to the sick feeling growing in his gut.Magnus wasn’t free.Ron moved first, dragging himself toward Magnus, but hesitated just short of touching him. “Is it… gone?”Frederick shook his head. “No.” His voice was hoarse, weighed down by exhaustion. “I only forced it back. It’s still inside him.”Ron cursed under his breath.Then—Magnus stirred.A sharp gasp tore from his lips as his eyes snapped open. He sucked in air like a drowning man breaking the surface, his fingers clawing at the fractured stone beneath him.For a moment, there was nothing but raw confusion in his expression. Then the pain hit.Magnus screamed.His back arched violently, his hands flyi
Frederick barely remembered the walk to the dungeon. His mind was too full—churning with the weight of Magnus’ words, the sight of his friend breaking apart right before his eyes. If I hurt her, if I hurt Elizabeth… you kill me. Frederick had never been the type to pray. But right now, he wished someone—anyone—was listening. The guards at the dungeon entrance stepped aside at the sight of him, their eyes flickering with unease. He must have looked as wrecked as he felt. Astrid was waiting for him just beyond the iron doors. “You’re going to see him again,” she said, more statement than question. Frederick nodded, too drained to argue. Astrid exhaled through her nose, her expression tight. “He’s dangerous, Frederick. He almost—” “I know what he almost did.” The memory of Alan’s fingers tightening around his throat flashed through his mind. The sick laughter. The way he had wanted Frederick to kill him—because it would only make things worse. He forced the thought away. “But he
Frederick barely registered the path back to the main hall. His mind was too tangled, Alan’s words looping in his head like a noose.The only way to stop the corruption… is to kill me.He hadn’t told Astrid what Alan said. Couldn’t. Not yet.Because saying it out loud would make it real.And he still wasn’t ready.By the time he reached the castle’s great hall, the atmosphere was tense. Servants hurried about, whispering anxiously. Guards stood stiff at their posts, eyes darting toward the main staircase.Frederick’s gut clenched. Magnus.Elia’s voice rang out, sharp and distressed. “Magnus, stop!”Frederick broke into a run.When he reached the top of the stairs, the sight that met him made his blood turn to ice.Magnus stood in the middle of the hallway, his entire body shaking. His breathing was ragged, his skin pale and damp with sweat. Black veins pulsed up his neck, writhing like living things beneath his skin.His eyes—normally a warm, piercing blue—were almost completely swall
Frederick helped Magnus back to his chambers. His No More TimeFrederick helped Magnus back to his chambers. His body was heavy with exhaustion, every step sluggish, as if the corruption had drained the very strength from him. He barely spoke, his breaths ragged, his skin pale as moonlight.Elia hovered close, her eyes darting between Magnus and the dark veins still pulsing along his skin. She clutched his hand tightly, as if her touch alone could anchor him, could pull him back from the abyss he was teetering on.Frederick felt Astrid beside him, tense and watchful. Aria stood near the doorway, her face tight with worry, one protective arm wrapped around her stomach.Once Magnus was settled into bed, he let out a breath that sounded more like a whisper of relief. He turned his head toward Elia, his fingers weakly brushing against her cheek. “I scared you,” he murmured.Elia shook her head fiercely, tears shining in her eyes. “You didn’t mean to.”“But I still did.” His voice was holl
The castle was no longer the sanctuary it had once been. A heavy, suffocating energy pulsed through its halls, growing stronger with each passing hour. Everyone felt it—like a storm pressing in, thick with something unnatural.And at the center of it all was Magnus.At first, it had been subtle. Moments of exhaustion he brushed off. The occasional flicker of darkness in his eyes. But now, it was impossible to ignore. His presence itself was shifting—something unnatural coiling beneath his skin, something trying to take over.Elia was the first to truly see it.Late at night, she woke to the sound of his breathing—ragged, uneven. She reached for him, only to freeze when she touched his skin. It was ice-cold, but beneath the surface, he burned like fire.“Magnus?” she whispered.No response.Then he moved—too fast. One moment, he was lying beside her. The next, he was at the other side of the room, gripping the stone wall, his head bowed as if in pain. The air around him crackled.Elia
Magnus didn’t know where he was running.He barely knew who he was anymore.The corridors blurred together, shadows stretching and twisting as his vision swam. His breath came in ragged gasps, his pulse hammering in his ears. Every part of him burned—his skin, his bones, his very soul. The darkness inside him wasn’t just creeping in anymore. It was consuming him.He could still feel Frederick’s throat under his fingers.Still hear the terror in Elia’s voice.He had attacked them.No—he had tried to kill his best friend.He stumbled into an empty chamber, gripping the edges of a table to keep himself upright. His fingers dug into the wood, splintering it under his grip. His arms shook violently. His reflection in the polished metal of a shield caught his eye—his face pale, his veins black, his eyes flickering between hazel and the abyss.He had seen this before.He had fought this before.But this time—this time it was winning.“No.” His own voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.He
The shadows exploded outward, swallowing the room in a suffocating wave of cold. The torches flickered wildly before snuffing out, plunging them into near darkness.Elia clutched Elizabeth tightly to her chest, backing away as Magnus’s body convulsed, his form twisting unnaturally. His once-familiar features contorted with something inhuman, veins pulsing like blackened roots under his skin.Derek gritted his teeth and moved between Magnus and the others, summoning his power in an instant. His hands glowed with crackling energy, ready to strike if needed. “Magnus, listen to me! You can fight this—”But the voice that came from Magnus was not his own.“Fight?” the distorted voice mocked, echoing through the chamber. “There is no fight. There is only surrender.”Then, the shadows moved.They lashed out like living tendrils, striking at Derek first. He barely had time to react before he was thrown backward, crashing into the stone wall with a brutal force.“Derek!” Aria’s voice rang out
The weight of Magnus’s confession settled over them like a thick fog. Alan’s power wasn’t gone—it had shifted, latched onto Magnus like a parasite waiting to consume him. They couldn’t afford to keep this to themselves.Derek was the first to move. He helped Magnus to his feet, his grip firm. “We need to tell the others. Now.”Magnus flinched at the thought. His body still trembled, his skin clammy with sweat. “Elia…” His voice cracked. “How am I supposed to tell her?”Aria’s chest tightened. Elia had already suffered enough—first with Alan’s magic corrupting Magnus, and then watching her husband struggle to control himself. Now this?“She deserves to know,” Aria said gently. “All of them do.”Magnus ran a hand through his hair, exhaling shakily. “What if I lose control in front of them?”Derek shook his head. “Then we make sure you don’t.” His tone was absolute. “Let’s go.”Aria hesitated, her hand drifting instinctively to her stomach. Something about all of this felt… wrong. The da
The weight of their decision settled over them like a storm cloud, thick with unspoken fears. Aria’s fingers remained pressed against her stomach, as if seeking reassurance from the life growing inside her. She could feel her magic humming beneath her skin, stronger than ever—but also unpredictable.Derek crossed his arms, his gaze sharp. “If we’re going to do this, we need to be careful. Alan’s magic didn’t just disappear. It’s somewhere, lingering. And if we go looking for it, we need to be prepared for whatever we find.”Magnus leaned against the stone wall, his expression unreadable. “You don’t think I know that?” His voice was rough with frustration. “It’s inside me. I feel it every second. And every second, it’s getting harder to fight.”Aria studied him closely. The way his hands trembled, the slight flicker of shadow clinging to his form—he was holding himself together by sheer force of will.“We can’t wait any longer,” she said. “We need to find a way to trace the remnants of
Magnus took a step back, shaking his head. “No.” His voice was low, strained. “You’re wrong.”Aria felt a cold weight settle in her stomach. “I want to be wrong, Magnus. But I’m not.”He clenched his fists, his breathing heavy. The air around them shifted—charged with an unseen force.Derek reached for his sword instinctively. “Magnus, stay with us.”“I am with you!” Magnus snapped, but the darkness in his veins pulsed. His pupils dilated, and Aria saw it again—that flicker of something inhuman in his eyes.Derek moved between them. “Aria, if he loses control again—”“I won’t,” Magnus ground out, but even he didn’t sound convinced.Aria reached for him. “Magnus, listen to me—”He flinched at her touch, and suddenly, a force erupted from him, slamming into the walls with enough power to shake the room.Books flew from their shelves. Candles flickered and died. The air turned suffocating.Magnus gasped, doubling over as if in pain. His fingers dug into the stone floor, his breathing rag
Morning came too quickly. The tension that had settled over them the night before hadn’t lifted, and as they prepared to leave for the archives, Aria couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into something they weren’t ready for.The journey was quiet, save for the sound of their footsteps against the cold stone halls. Aria kept a hand on her stomach, a subconscious habit she had developed since realizing she was pregnant. She hadn’t told the others—not yet. Not until she understood what was happening to her.Magnus walked beside her, his movements more controlled than before, but there was still a weight to them, as if he were forcing himself to keep the corruption at bay. Derek led the way, his grip tight on the hilt of his sword. He was always prepared for a fight, but this time, Aria knew his concern was for her.They arrived at the archives, an ancient chamber buried deep beneath the castle. Dust clung to the air, illuminated by the soft glow of enchanted lanterns. Rows
Aria sat beside Magnus, exhausted but determined. The session had drained her, and yet, she knew this was only the beginning.Magnus exhaled heavily, his fingers twitching as he clenched and unclenched his fists. “I almost lost control again.”“But you didn’t,” Aria reminded him, her voice gentle but firm. “That’s what matters.”His jaw tightened. “What if next time I do?”Aria hesitated. There was a next time. There always would be.But she wouldn’t let him fall into doubt.“You won’t,” she said, gripping his wrist. “Because I’ll be here. We all will.”Magnus looked at her, eyes clouded with uncertainty—but there was something else there, too. A flicker of belief.Before he could respond, the chamber doors swung open.Derek stepped in, his expression grim. “We need to talk.”Aria turned to him, immediately sensing his unease. “What is it?”Derek’s gaze flickered to Magnus, then back to her. “It’s about you.”Aria frowned. “Me?”Derek nodded, stepping closer. “I’ve been watching, Aria
The next morning, as the first light of dawn painted the sky in hues of gold and crimson, Magnus and Aria stood in the clearing beyond the castle walls. The air was still charged with tension from the previous night, but this was the first step toward reclaiming control.Magnus flexed his hands, feeling the restless power still writhing within him. He was afraid. Afraid of losing himself again. Afraid of hurting someone. Afraid that no matter how hard he tried, he would never be the same again.But then he looked at Aria.She stood before him, steady, unshaken. There was a quiet strength in her now, something deeper than before. Her presence alone was grounding.“Alright,” Aria said, drawing a slow breath. “First, I need you to close your eyes.”Magnus frowned but obeyed.“Feel the magic inside you,” she continued. “Don’t fight it. Just listen.”He tried. At first, all he could sense was chaos—wild energy rushing through his veins, sharp, erratic, unpredictable. It was like a storm he
Magnus collapsed to his knees, gasping as the remnants of darkness flickered around him like dying embers. The magic inside him had not vanished—it still pulsed within his veins—but it was no longer in control. The corruption had been tempered, its hunger subdued by Aria’s power. He trembled as he lifted his head, his once-shadowed eyes now holding a glimmer of clarity. Aria stepped back, her breathing unsteady. Her body swayed slightly, exhaustion weighing her down. Derek was by her side in an instant, his strong arms steadying her before she could collapse. He gazed at her in awe, then concern. “Aria, that was incredible,” he murmured. “But you shouldn’t have pushed yourself so hard.” She shook her head, pressing a hand to her belly. “I had to. It was the only way to reach him.” Frederick took a cautious step toward Magnus, his fists clenched at his sides. “Is it over?” Magnus let out a shuddering breath. “No,” he admitted, his voice hoarse. “I can still feel it inside me…
Amid the chaos and the crumbling stone, a deep, resolute calm began to emanate from Aria. Her eyes, wide with determination, fixed on the writhing, tormented form of Magnus. The dark energy that had taken root in him pulsed like a malignant heartbeat, threatening to consume everything in its path. But in that moment, something within Aria stirred—a power she had never fully acknowledged before. Her hand pressed against her belly, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. A soft, luminous glow began to spread from her, as if her unborn child were a beacon of hope amid the encroaching darkness. The golden light was warm and steady, contrasting sharply with the inky shadows and her she thought of Magnus and decided it time to step in, at the same time she’s scared of the dark power surrounding magnus and not wanting anything to harm her unborn child. She left her room for the dungeon upon seeing magnus in this state her heart sank and she couldn’t take it. She saw how exhau